SVE art - fic trade with @studentinpursuitofclouds
Thank you so much, Mousey! đđđ
âEnter our plight, kind sir. Those horrible monsters destroyed almost all of our crops last month, our sales have suffered, and there is barely enough money to feed my family. We simply cannot pay you the amount you are asking for.â
Isaac already wanted to sigh heavily from irritation. Of course this sneaky weasel was starting to get out of the situation, making himself look like the poorest man in the whole world. Though a couple days ago, as heâd entered the living room of his house to discuss the job details, Isaac had noticed the kitchen, where plates of pastries, cuts of meat, fruit, and even bottles of expensive wine stood on the table.
âThe trickiest ones,â not the poorest ones, damn themâŚ
Truth be told, Isaac had been reluctant to deal with this man from the start, but lately the job offers had been so few that he had to take any opportunity to make some cash. Resentment, pride and a sense of justice screamed that he should stand up for his honestly earned money, while fatigue and the voice of reason whispered to him to take the three hundred and fifty gold and save his last nerves.
Only three hundred and fifty gold⌠With such a ârewardâ Isaac can forget about a night in a tavern or hotel, but at least he will be able to buy a fresh loaf of bread and a bottle of milk. Maybe even a few apples, if he's lucky enough to stumble across a sale on bargain fruits.
And yet... Why should he beg for that money? He earned it through his work by clearing the monsters out of this damn farmhouse, where the greedy and ungrateful residents live, crimson sands curse them!
âWe agreed on a thousand gold for clearing the farm from the golems. And now youâre just trying to trick me. Thatâs not even half the amount.â The adventurer pointed a finger at the small leather bag lying on the bar table. The client figured that while Isaac was counting the coins, he could quickly leave and get lost without letting the scarred man into his farmhouse again. Only Isaac counts quickly, and immediately grabs the client by the arm, giving him no chance to run away.
So much for the âgreatestâ escape planâŚ
Looking into Isaacâs coal-black eyes, which were slightly narrowed, giving him a rather evil look, the client shifted his frightened gaze over the adventurerâs shoulder, as if begging for someone to come to his aid. And it didnât take long for help to arrive â an unfamiliar man two metres tall, shaved head, with a steel dagger strapped to his belt, took a few very loud steps and stood behind Isaac.
The adventurer didnât even turn around.
âAre you deaf?â The menacing, bassy voice could strike fear into the hearts of many. But not Isaac. âTake the money and get out of the village.â
âThatâs what I want to do as soon as Iâm paid in full, as agreed.â He kept his gaze on his client, watching with a wolfish grin as the man's fingers twitched with fear.
âYou want to do it the hard way, punk?!â The man placed his massive palm on the adventurerâs shoulder. And in the blink of an eye he was on the dirty wooden floor with a bloody nose â Isaac had laid that pile of muscle down so lightning fast that many of the bar patrons didnât even have time to blink.
âSo you were able to find the money for a thug, but not for my paymentâŚâ Isaac grabbed the hilt of his Galaxy Sword, wanting to pull the weapon from its sheath. Not to engage in combat, no - these people can't even be called worthy opponents. Only to intimidate and show how serious he is about standing up for justice.
The only people in the tavern that night were a customer, a good-for-nothing guard, the tavern owner hiding behind the bar, and Isaac himself. No one to stop a warrior, furious as a bear, with a blade that emitted violet rays of magic.
â....I swear to protect people from the monster threat, to honour the traditions and rules of the GuildâŚâ A determined but gentle voice travelled deep inside his subconscious.
"You run to us with pleas for help. Asking you to save you from shadow brutes or slimes, to enchant another trinket, and to accompany you on your travels! And then what happens when we get the job done? You call us names, spit on us, trick us, and refuse to pay! We sacrifice our lives for you, we fight for you to the last drop of our blood, and this is the thanks we get?!
The client swallowed nervously and backed away, unsure of what the adventurer would do next. Definitely something bad.
The front door to the tavern opened just as Isaac strode menacingly towards his client with a renewed sword in hand
âWait, stop! Put down your weapon, warrior.â A stranger in a dark brown cloak, with a pleasant, feminine voice, quickly approached the two men. Isaac couldnât see the face hidden under the hood, but the voice sounded very familiar to him. That sounds like- No, it's impossible, she must be in Castle Village right now, patrolling the wall.
âYou will be paid in full for clearing Heather Farm, adventurer.â The stranger walked over to the bar and put down a leather bag of gold coins. Much larger than the one next to it, the one that had started this heated argument in the tavern.
Looking at the stranger's back, Isaac saw a bow attached and a quiver that was full of arrows. The feathers⌠of a crimson hawk? But such feathers are only used by the blacksmiths of the-
The stranger finally removed the hood, and Isaacâs eyes widened in surprise.
âMiss Alesia! So glad to see you in our lands!â Though the client was overjoyed to be saved from Isaac's wrath, he spoke sheepishly to Alesia, still trembling. Aside from the presence of the scarred adventurer, the man knew exactly who had sent the sniper here. âHow is our dear Miss Camilla? Doing well, I believe?â
âGreetings, Everett. Yes, Camilla is doing well. And sheâs been wanting to speak with you soon, about... some important matters.â The man swallowed nervously. Camilla is not the regular adventurer heâs fooled more than once. No one could fool the head witch of Castle Village.
Alesia nodded to a dazed Isaac in greeting, smiling slightly, and then peeked behind the bar, seeing the poor tavern owner's maw there, still refusing to come out.
âLarge room for one night, with two separate beds, please.â The tavern owner, who had been praying that her establishment wouldnât be trashed, quickly raked up the gold purse Alesia had put down and put an iron key in its place. âT- third floor, room o- on the left. Enjoy yo- your stay, miss.â
Isaac had already opened his mouth to spill a bunch of questions that had popped up on Alesia's head, but the sniper made a gesture with her hand, ordering him to stop:
âNot here,â she whispered, âletâs go upstairs and Iâll explain everything.â
Before the two adventurers left for their room, Alesia pulled a small vial of pink liquid from her camping bag. A life elixir, just the small portion, Isaac guessed immediately.
âItâs for him,â Alesia turned to Everett with those words, pointing a finger at the tall man still lying on the floor. She hoped that the Guild wouldnât get a complaint for fighting civilians because of this incidentâŚ
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Locking the old wooden door behind them, the two adventurers stood opposite each other in the cozy guest room that was lit by the warm glow of an oil lamp. Alesia sighed quietly, and her face was adorned with a warm smile that Isaac hadnât seen in six long years.
âIt's been a while, IsaacâŚâ
She slowly approached her friend and hugged him tightly, which made Isaac a little awkward as he stood motionless, but afterwards he put one arm around the womanâs shoulders. He hadnât been known for being a touchy-feely guy even before he left Castle Village, and after wandering all over the Ferngill Republic alone, he was not used to being touched by others at all. But his heart was overflowing with joy to see Alesia again.
âIt's⌠great to see you again, too.â
After standing for a minute, not in a hurry to break the moment, Alesia did pull away from Isaac, and her gaze immediately became serious. The sniperâs keen eye couldnât help but notice how thin Isaac had become since the last time theyâd seen each other, and new scars were visible on his arms. Some are still quite fresh.
"Don't get me wrong, Alesia. But..." He paused. "What are you doing here?" Isaac was too smart to believe their meeting was an accident. Even if Camilla had managed to send someone as dedicated to her work and duties as Alesia on a well-deserved vacation, the sniper definitely would have chosen a better place than⌠this. Like Stardew Valley, for example-
Fuck. He was just finally starting to forget about this place. The green paradise whereâŚ
Where his beloved came from.
"Straight to the point?" She said tiredly to Isaac, who furrowed his brows. "Let's have some snacks first. I haven't eaten anything all day, and I'm sure you haven't either. You look skinny as a twig."
Isaac's pride wanted to object to the sniper that she didn't need to babysit him, but his stomach rumbled treacherously across the room, making his cheeks blush slightly when Alesia looked up at him with a smile.
She pulled from her bag and untied a small topple containing a beef sandwich split in two, a small roasted serpent chop, dried fruit and nuts. Next to the meal she placed a small bottle of homemade kompote.
"It's not much, but that's something, at least." For Isaac, such food was a luxury compared to the wild berries and mushrooms he sought and ate in the forest for the last two weeks.
They both sat silently at the table for the next five minutes and filled their hungry stomachs with tasty food. There was no point in stalling further, the scarred adventurer broke the silence, moving on to the pressing question.
"And what did Camilla need that you didn't decide to find me until six years later?" Isaac instantly regretted his words as soon as he saw the gush of shock and outrage in the woman's reddish brown eyes. He could be an asshole sometimes, he knows that, and when almost everyone either threatened you or blatantly lied to you over a long period of time, you forgot what it was like to have a normal conversation.
Alesia clenched her fists. "I've been looking for you since the moment you left the gates of Castle Village. Scoured every corner in the Republic, every town and village that had any mention of you having been there recently. You were the one who didn't want to be found." That was true, Isaac didn't deny it. âAnd don't even dare talk about âusing magic to find peopleâ, you're still carrying that stone that keeps you from being seen in a crystal ball.â That was also true, Yoba, it annoyed him that Alesia was reading him like an open book.
"Why look for me, I come to the Village almost every year," a weak excuse, as he managed to avoid everyone (except Alesia and her patrol guarding the Wall, but even with them the conversation was short) while staying in the Village for one day. He wouldn't have visited the place at all... if it wasn't for one boy he had promised to come to on his birthday, to tell him another story and show him how to hold a sword properly.
"Isaac..." The man sighed tiredly upon hearing his name in a pleading tone.
He had already guessed why Alesia had been searching for him so hard all these years. Whether it was her own desire to get her friend back, the Castle Village Guild's order who didn't want to lose an experienced monster hunter, or the Ministry of Magic demand to keep him on a âleashâ, it didn't matter - their goal was the same.
âI'm not going back, Alesia.â
"Why are you so stubbornâŚâ
"I'm not going to work for those bastards again, and that's final!" Isaac's head was already hurting from all of this.
"There was nothing they could do!" Alesia had switched to a high-pitched tone as well. "I understand your grief, but using dark magic to resurrect Elaine-"
Isaac slammed his fists on the wooden table with all his might, causing the dishes to bounce in place. The open bottle of kompote fell onto the old carpet. Good thing it was empty.
"Do not." A shadow fell across the man's face, skewed with anger. A regular person or colleague would have had their teeth knocked out for mentioning Elaine in Isaac's presence, but he considered Alesia a close friend (perhaps his only friend), so he gave her his first and last warning. Alesia fell silent, immediately taking the hint.
The door of the Meeting Room opened sharply, nearly knocking over the two mages who stood guarding the entrance. The furious Isaac didn't even look at the outraged guards. He didn't care about anyone. The rotten Ministry with the Order as a lapdog, all those bastards....
From behind him, shouts, pleas and demands to stop could be heard, which merged into one unison and formed a white noise pressing on the man's head. A dozen pairs of hands tried to grab him by the sleeve of his snow-white shirt, to snag on his old holey cloak, to put their palms on his shoulders, but he lashed out and yanked his arms, bellowing for everyone to leave HIM ALONE ALREADY!
At one particular voice, he did stop.
Breathing heavily and squirming in pain, Alesia waddled towards Isaac and finally, after catching her breath, stopped and grabbed onto a nearby magic lamp as support. The wounds from Apophis still hadn't healed, so it hurt the sniper to even stand, let alone walk.
"Where..." She gulped air greedily. "Where are you going?"
"Away from here. I'm leaving the Guild and the Village. Forever." Isaac replied dryly, continuing his stride towards the exit again.
"We'll figure something out..." Her own words didn't sound convincing, but the desperate woman tried everything she could to keep her friend. "Please⌠we don't have to go to such extremes⌠I can⌠We will ask Camilla for help and-"
"AND THEN WHAT? WHAT CAN SHE DO?!" Turning round to face Alesia, the sniper saw the man's dark eyes were slightly red and moist with tears. âSHE'S DANCING TO THE MINISTRY'S TUNE TOO! HOW DO YOU THINK SHE'S GOING TO GET HER BACK WITHOUT USING THE RITUAL?!â
She had nothing to answer him.
Alesia was about to follow him again, but a sharp pain in her chest stopped her.
She didn't immediately realize that someone had picked her up on both sides, keeping her from falling to the hard marble floor.
"You're not supposed to get out of the bed!" Sabrina's worried voice echoed to Alesia's left as the sniper turned her head to the right, seeing Lance, who accompanied Isaac exiting the hallway with a sympathetic look. Alesia tried to get up, but her strength was leaving her, and the last thing she remembered before passing out was someone picking her up and carrying her to the pharmacyâŚ
"Give me one good reason why I should go back."
"We need you, Isaac. I need you, the Guild. Everyone in Castle Village. And Markus needs you."
"Is that it, Mister Isaac? Am I doing this right?"
"Yep, doing great. Hands up, feet shoulder width apart, and never take your eyes off your opponent. Stay focused." The kid got into a fighting stance, puffing up his cheeks earnestly, making Isaac smile at the kid's âvery seriousâ look. Though the boy was too young now, he had the makings of a good adventurerâŚ
Still sitting on the not-so-comfortable wooden chair, Isaac hid his face in his palms and sighed loudly. His scar over his left eye began aching unpleasantly.
Alesia walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to join the Guild officially if you don't want to. But the new recruits need a good teacher, and there's no one better than you." Isaac usually couldn't stand sycophancy, but he knew the sniper always said what he truly believed.
"By the way, he asked me to give you this," Isaac removed his palms and looked at Alesia, raising an eyebrow questioningly as to who exactly 'he' was. The woman, however, silently pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of her pants pocket and placed it on the table, moving away to the other side of the room, towards the open window.
Isaac unfolded the paper, shabby in some places. Coloured inks on the surface depicted two stick figures against a background of a grey castle and green trees. One, the larger one, with a stripe on the left side of the face, was smiling and holding the stick hand of a smaller one whose round face was also adorned with a big inked smile. In the left-hand corner of the drawing was written in gaunt letters, âMe and my Teacher!â
The adventurer's heart clenched.
While Isaac further examined Markus' gift, Alesia walked over to the window, taking a small ball of a colour similar to rose quartz out of the same pocket. She focused her gaze on the gem, and watched as it began to glow dimly.
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In Camilla's private tower, the time flowed slowly and soooo boringâŚ
Half-lying on the velvet sofa, the young witch tossed aside another scroll, sighing dramatically at the incredibly tedious reading of the Ministry's latest amendments in the laws.
"Ugh, what a bunch of old fools.... New boring laws, as always. And it's getting duller and duller every day. "No reading the Ministry members' minds,â spoiling all my fun!"
The blonde-haired woman picked up a full glass of red wine from the corner table and was about to bring it to her lips when she saw her crystal ball glow.
"Oh, it seems our dearest Alesia is sending us a message!" Putting her glass back down, Camilla quickly walked over to the orb, peering into the contents.
"With good news, I hope?" Sitting in a cushioned chair, Lance tore his gaze away from the manuscript and looked at the agitated witch.
Camilla stared into the contents of the orb for half a minute and then grinned widely, letting the pink-haired adventurer know that the news was indeed good.
"He's going back!" She giggled, clapping her hands together. "So everything's going according to plan."
Lance set the manuscript aside on the slide of books next to his chair.
"It's been almost six years since we've seen him here. I wonder if he's changed much?"
"Knowing our sullen friend's eternal desire to get into the thick of things, he's certainly acquired some new scars." Taking up her glass again, the witch drained it to the bottom.
"I meant character. After all, wandering alone for so many yearsâŚâ
âMaybe he's got a couple of thorns, but I think our Isaac is still as sweet and caring as he used to be!â She looked into Lance's violet eyes. âStill, try not to provoke him too much, dear.â
âI can't promise that,â Lance wanted to say, but decided to remain silent, only nodding to Camilla with a chuckle.
The witch smirked slyly, as if she had read her friend and subordinate's mind. Or maybe she did read his mind - the Ministry had only written about the new rule on a piece of paper, but nothing had been officially enacted yet, so no rules had been broken.
After a few moments, Camilla's expression turned serious.
âWhat about our⌠friend in the Ministry, Lance?â
âHe's on our side, and will keep quiet about our case even under torture.â
âI didn't say anything to herâŚâ Lance paused. "But she did drop a hint that she knew we were up to something ... And promised to give me an alibi, if anything."
âWonderful!â Once again, a cheerful smile graced the witch's perfect face. "We need to send Jadu to meet our friends and get them to Castle Village, Alesia told me she's run out of materials for the teleport totem.â
Camilla made a couple of gestures with her hands, and the blank papyrus along with the goose quill flew into the air, where the quill began scribbling something on the paper.
âI also should send the Guild's staff to Isaac's old room so that it would be clean and tidy by tomorrow.â
âISAAC'S COMING HOME?!â
Entering Camilla's room, Jadu got tangled up in his own feet and fell to the floor with a clatter, dropping a pile of old dusty books on his own head.
âAh, just the person I need right now!â A snap of her fingers - and the heavy books were no longer on the poor young mage. He got to his feet again and shook off his robe.
"You heard it right, darling. Tomorrow you will teleport to Hollyfrost Village and meet Alesia and Isaac outside the âDrunken Hunterâ tavern. At exactly six in the morning, they will both be waiting for you."
âWh- what about my post duties?â
âCancelled by me, I'll cover for you if someone asks for you.â Camilla quickly walked over to Jadu and handed him a pile of completely different books in his hands.
âBut-â He didn't have time to say anything more before the witch shoved an apple slice into his mouth, which she took from a fruit bowl nearby.
âNo time for chit-chat! Work awaits, and you have a meeting to go to now! Hup hup!" The young woman turned Jadu around 180 degrees and with a gentle push she shoved him out of the room, locking the door. Before the stunned mage left to do his work, he heard Lance's muffled laughter at this hilarious scene.
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The pink stone stopped glowing and Alesia tucked it back into her pocket.
âJadu will meet us outside the Tavern at six tomorrow morning.â
Isaac tucked the drawing to his backpack, nodded at the sniper's words.
"Camilla said you'll be taking up your old room again. She also ordered you and me to arrive in three days in Stardew Valley, to support the town."
âI haven't even arrived in Castle Village, and that witch has already given me a job.â Isaac snorted irritably.
Of all places, it's Stardew ValleyâŚ
âConsider it just a rest trip, we won't be catching monsters this time.â
Isaac glanced questioningly at Alesia.
âIt's almost the end of autumn now, which means Spirit's Eve will soon be held in Pelican Town Square.â Alesia reminded him. Hmm, right. The Castle Village adventurers catch a couple of skeletons and shadow brutes for the Valley every year for the locals to display. "Maybe you could take Markus with you, take a look at the town, grab a bite to eat.... If Gus is still cooking for the residents' community table, there's sure to be some tasty food and sweets waiting for you both."
"I'll think about it." The dark haired man crossed his arms, completely oblivious to the way Alesia looked at him with a soft smile, knowing perfectly well that no matter how much her friend made himself out to be a callous and harsh warrior, he would not deny the orphan a trip to the valley.
"Well, it's been a long day today...We should lie down now so we can get some sleep before the morning."
The smile on Alesia's face slowly crept down.
"I'm not staying here overnight."
âCan't sleep anyway, and I don't want to disturb your sleep. I'd better take a walk, to get some fresh air.â
Isaac quickly opened the guest room door⌠and saw the pale face of the tavern owner standing before him. Putting left hand up in the air, she apparently only wanted to knock on the door of her establishment's guest room, to ask if they wished to dine in the room or downstairs at the bar. But the only thing she was able to say was a short, high-pitched shriek. Isaac awkwardly muttered an apology, and headed towards the downstairs. Leaving Alesia and the tavern owner alone in the room.
"Um, listen, not to be impertinent, but do you have any way of refunding my money and ordering a smaller ro-" Seeing the owner jump on the spot and trembling when Alesia addressed her, the sniper quickly said: "Actually, nevermind...â
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Isaac walked slowly through the birch forest, feeling the fallen dry leaves crunch under his leather boots. It was pitch black, and only his camp lantern illuminated the adventurerâs path. His tired gaze directed back and forth at the road and the night sky, his head as if in a fog. Isaac kept walking, not knowing where he was going. He looked through the trunks of the birch trees, where a couple was jumping, running and laughing, playing catch-up. A beautiful young woman, with wheat curls tied in a crimson ribbon, was teasing a young man, so much like Isaac himself, only without the scar on the face, who was smiling and trying to catch the woman.
Isaac kept his eyes on them until the two figures vanished into thin air. Unbuttoning the collar of his shirt, he took out the Mermaid Pendant and clenched it with his fist. Letting go of the pendant, the lone warrior went on his way, immersed in his own thoughts and memories.
A small red spot appeared right in front of Isaac's face.
The delicate scarlet butterfly flapped its wings, made a circle around the man, and flew slowly to the opposite side of the road where the tavern was located.
Great, I'm hallucinating again, Isaac thought as he continued his sleepless walk.
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